Southern cooking

To tell the truth, I don't think I have ever really experienced southern food the way Dimple did at Cracker Barrel. However, I do have an opinion on what Southern food is actually like. One of the main things that comes to mind when I think of Southern food is fried food, and the two main restaurants that come to mind are KFC and Captain D's. KFC is known for its fried chicken, and Captain D's is known for its fried fish. Captain D's opened its first store in Nashville, Tennessee in 1969, but there are now over 600 locations over the United States, mostly in the South and the midwest. KFC was founded in 1952 in Louisville, Kentucky. Both of these companies were based in the South and commercialized Southern Fried food.

I can vividly remember the last time I visited either of these restaurants, and I don't particularly recall receiving any type of Southern hospitality. I believe that once a restaurant that specializes in Southern food becomes commercialized and turns into a franchise, its Southern ideals disappear. I have never really had an authentic Southern experience because the restaurants that usually show Southern Hospitality are not as publicized.

The only other exposure I've had to Southern food is through television, mainly food network (Paula Deen). But this is not the same as first hand experience. I might just have to stop by a Cracker Barrel to really experience Southern cooking.